The X-Files - Darkness Falls
Darkness Falls was another X-Files episode I recall watching
during its initial run. There was a channel that would rerun the show later on
Sunday night. That is when I’d watch it in the early 90s. As a teenager, the “monster/creature
of the week” episodes were just as favored as the extraterrestrial / bad
government overarching theme. Darkness Falls was one of the reasons why. This
is probably second only to Ice as far as stand-alone episodes not particularly
tied to mythology of the show.
It is about missing lumberjacks, Federal employees, and “environmental militants” cutting in a certain area of the Great Northwest. Cutting down old trees illegally that are federally marked, the lumber company log cutters made the big mistake of taking down a 600 year old tree which houses insect eggs releasing these green bugs that attack humans and drain their fluid. In doing so, the human victims are cocooned and petrified, giving the green insects their “glow”, similar to fireflies.
These insects are repelled by light, making them unusual for a species, according to Scully. Before realizing the insects’ existence, Mulder studied a previous vanishing of tree cutters many years ago, compelling Scully to accompany him on the trip into the forest to look for the missing men. Big mistake.
Accompanied by forest ranger, Larry Moore (Jason Beghe), and a representative of the logging company looking for his men, Steve Humphreys (Tom O’Rourke), Mulder and Scully head into the woods, soon finding camp, a cocooned logger, and the tree cut down, studying the rings to determine its age. Illegal tree cutting, rice in gas tanks, spikes in roads, green insects sucking the fluids of humans; quite an X-Files episode depicting the self-destructive nature on both sides, those wanting to save trees by using severe methods and those cutting down trees they shouldn’t just to make a living.
Soon arriving at the cabin is a “tree-hugging criminal”, Doug Spinney (Titus Welliver), looking for scraps to eat, totally knowing all too well what Mulder, Scully, Larry, and Steve are up against. Steve is sold on Doug’s “kind” being behind the missing men, not believing that there are green insects swarming around, soon learning the unfortunate truth when trying to escape from the area in his truck, besieged and trapped with nowhere to go. A fixed generator after tampering and Mulder’s modifications on a damaged radio help their cause. But Doug has friends at a different location, caught by Mulder while attempting to take some gas and a battery back with him to rescue them. Mulder decides to trust him, later earning the scolding of Larry and Scully, both of whom believe he made a serious error in judgment.
Later that night, the bulb barely lighting the cabin, Scully gets some of the insects on her, freaking her out. You see Scully gripped in terror while Mulder tries to bring her out of the panic. And that’s the terrifying aspect tied to the insects. The night’s dark is the enemy of Mulder, Scully, and Larry. Will Doug return? Or will he leave them to die? That is a good plot device to use. It has Mulder questioning a decision he made based solely on trust. Doug is known to sabotage equipment and roads, and despite the cause, crime is crime. Even if they shine a light on illegal tree cutting, the actions used to do so were quite questionable. Doug is a wild card. Mulder could be right or wrong about him. We are left to wonder as the trio tries to come up with a game plan.
The ending really is rather scary (or it was on the first viewing for me) as Scully, Mulder, and Larry have nowhere to go once inside Doug’s jeep, with Doug fleeing as the swarm overtakes him (irony has it that Doug would run over a spike). And the scientists in quarantine tending to the trio as Mulder posits the gulp-inducing question of what might happen if the insects cannot be contained. The green swarm special effects are certainly of their time and perhaps susceptible to critical scrutiny considering the CGI of today, but the story and their threat is quite frightening. Mulder’s explanation of volcanoes and radioactivity causing the insects to form within the root of the big tree gives a scientific reason for the insects’ existence. The cocooned body found by Scully certainly makes the skin crawl…the idea that Scully, Mulder, and Larry could end up like that is not a worthwhile prospect!
It is about missing lumberjacks, Federal employees, and “environmental militants” cutting in a certain area of the Great Northwest. Cutting down old trees illegally that are federally marked, the lumber company log cutters made the big mistake of taking down a 600 year old tree which houses insect eggs releasing these green bugs that attack humans and drain their fluid. In doing so, the human victims are cocooned and petrified, giving the green insects their “glow”, similar to fireflies.
These insects are repelled by light, making them unusual for a species, according to Scully. Before realizing the insects’ existence, Mulder studied a previous vanishing of tree cutters many years ago, compelling Scully to accompany him on the trip into the forest to look for the missing men. Big mistake.
Accompanied by forest ranger, Larry Moore (Jason Beghe), and a representative of the logging company looking for his men, Steve Humphreys (Tom O’Rourke), Mulder and Scully head into the woods, soon finding camp, a cocooned logger, and the tree cut down, studying the rings to determine its age. Illegal tree cutting, rice in gas tanks, spikes in roads, green insects sucking the fluids of humans; quite an X-Files episode depicting the self-destructive nature on both sides, those wanting to save trees by using severe methods and those cutting down trees they shouldn’t just to make a living.
Soon arriving at the cabin is a “tree-hugging criminal”, Doug Spinney (Titus Welliver), looking for scraps to eat, totally knowing all too well what Mulder, Scully, Larry, and Steve are up against. Steve is sold on Doug’s “kind” being behind the missing men, not believing that there are green insects swarming around, soon learning the unfortunate truth when trying to escape from the area in his truck, besieged and trapped with nowhere to go. A fixed generator after tampering and Mulder’s modifications on a damaged radio help their cause. But Doug has friends at a different location, caught by Mulder while attempting to take some gas and a battery back with him to rescue them. Mulder decides to trust him, later earning the scolding of Larry and Scully, both of whom believe he made a serious error in judgment.
Later that night, the bulb barely lighting the cabin, Scully gets some of the insects on her, freaking her out. You see Scully gripped in terror while Mulder tries to bring her out of the panic. And that’s the terrifying aspect tied to the insects. The night’s dark is the enemy of Mulder, Scully, and Larry. Will Doug return? Or will he leave them to die? That is a good plot device to use. It has Mulder questioning a decision he made based solely on trust. Doug is known to sabotage equipment and roads, and despite the cause, crime is crime. Even if they shine a light on illegal tree cutting, the actions used to do so were quite questionable. Doug is a wild card. Mulder could be right or wrong about him. We are left to wonder as the trio tries to come up with a game plan.
The ending really is rather scary (or it was on the first viewing for me) as Scully, Mulder, and Larry have nowhere to go once inside Doug’s jeep, with Doug fleeing as the swarm overtakes him (irony has it that Doug would run over a spike). And the scientists in quarantine tending to the trio as Mulder posits the gulp-inducing question of what might happen if the insects cannot be contained. The green swarm special effects are certainly of their time and perhaps susceptible to critical scrutiny considering the CGI of today, but the story and their threat is quite frightening. Mulder’s explanation of volcanoes and radioactivity causing the insects to form within the root of the big tree gives a scientific reason for the insects’ existence. The cocooned body found by Scully certainly makes the skin crawl…the idea that Scully, Mulder, and Larry could end up like that is not a worthwhile prospect!
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